Chapter 36: Missing

Lucian’s POV

​"I’ll be there."

​"Thank you, Alpha Lucian. We’ll be expecting you tomorrow evening," the voice on the other end replied before the line went completely dead.

​I ended the call and dropped my phone onto the desk with a tired sigh.

​For a few seconds, I remained in my leather chair, staring at the floor-to-ceiling glass window across the room. Rain poured heavily against it, so hard that I could barely see the gardens outside. It was practically the first real rain we had gotten this year, and the sky had decided to unleash a violent downpour all in one night.

​I looked away from the window, but almost immediately, my thoughts unconsciously drifted straight to Annabel.

​My jaw tightened as I remembered what had happened earlier this morning. I could still see her standing in this room, placing the envelope of money on my bed with that stubborn tilt of her chin, as though returning thirty thousand dollars to me was somehow an insult.

​Bitch, I spat mentally, running a hand through my hair.

​I leaned back in my chair and rubbed a hand over my face. Why the hell had I given her the money in the first place? I had already told her no. The conversation should have ended there. Instead, the moment she walked out of my room looking disappointed, I had stood there for less than five minutes before calling one of my guards and ordering him to take the exact amount to her.

​I frowned. The summit tomorrow evening suddenly came back to mind. It was an important gathering, and several Alphas, Lunas, and other leaders would be there. I needed to bring a companion, and I could take Annabel with me as my plus-one.

​The thought appeared so suddenly that my brows pulled together in immediate irritation. Why? I had attended more summits alone than I could count. I didn’t need a woman hanging from my arm, and I certainly didn’t need her there. She was just a treaty bride, a royal inconvenience forced into my life.

​I picked up one of the documents on my desk and tried to read it. I made it through exactly three lines before lowering it again.

​Fuck.

​Maybe taking her wasn’t such a terrible idea. She was technically my wife, whether I liked saying it or not. People already knew Kenneth’s daughter had been sent here as part of the peace agreement. Her absence would only create unnecessary questions.

​There. A perfectly reasonable explanation. It had absolutely nothing to do with wanting her there.

​I pushed my chair back and stood up. I would go down to her room and tell her tonight so she could prepare herself. That was all.

​Halfway toward the door, I stopped. Why was I going there myself? I could send a maid. Better yet, I could send one of my guards in the morning. There was no reason for me to walk all the way to her room simply to tell her she was attending a summit.

​I stood there for a few seconds, still questioning why I was doing this myself. Then I opened the door anyway and walked through the quiet hallway toward her room, the heavy rain beating against the windows as lightning flashed outside.

​When I reached Annabel’s room, I stopped dead in my tracks.

​Her door was slightly open.

​My frown deepened. Why was her door open at this hour? After everything that had happened since she arrived here, including finding a damn snake in her room, I would have expected her to lock the door even while sleeping.

​I pushed it wider and stepped inside. "Annabel?"

​No answer. The room was empty. Her bed sheets were thrown back, pillows were thrown around, and her shoes were scattered on the floor. The bathroom door was wide open with no sound of running water.

​Something didn’t feel right. My gut twisted instantly.

​"Annabel?"

​Still nothing. A strange, suffocating uneasiness settled in my chest.

​I turned on my heel and walked out, moving as fast as I could... By the time I reached the staircase, I was running.

​Several guards were standing near the grand doors when I reached the ground floor.

​"Has anyone seen my wife?" I demanded, my Alpha tone booming through the space with sudden authority.

​Every head turned toward me. One of the guards near the front door immediately stepped forward, his eyes wide with nervousness. "Yes, Alpha."

​I faced him. "Where is she?"

​His hesitation immediately pissed me off. "Speak."

​"The Princess went outside, Alpha."

​I stared at him. "Outside?"

​"Yes, Alpha. She said she lost something earlier today and needed to find it."

​My eyes moved toward the windows where rain was hammering violently against the glass. "In this?"

​The guard swallowed hard. "I tried to stop her, Alpha, but she insisted. She went to the herb garden."

​Something cold moved through my chest. "When?"

​"Some time ago, Alpha."

​Some time ago? "And she hasn’t returned?"

​The guard’s face changed, and that was enough. I didn’t ask another question.

​Teleporting was something I avoided whenever possible because of how much energy it drained. I hated the feeling of tearing through one place and appearing in another. But tonight, I didn’t give a fuck about the strain.

​In a second, the air around me shifted, and I vanished from the mansion floor.

​I reappeared beneath the wooden archway of the herb garden. Cold, heavy rain instantly slammed into me, soaking my hair and sticking my grey sweatpants to my legs.

​"Annabel!" I called out, but the roar of thunder drowned out my voice completely.

​There was no sign of her.

​I moved farther into the dark, murky garden, water running down my face as I scanned every bush. "Annabel!"

​No answer. Where the hell was she?

​Then something caught my eye, moving wildly on a nearby branch. A small, silver silk ribbon was caught there, blowing violently in the wind.

​I frowned in confusion. Why did that look familiar?

​My eyes moved away from the ribbon, and that was when I noticed the large, dug-up hole in the ground several feet past the bush. Rainwater was violently rushing over the edges and disappearing straight into it.

​My expression darkened. Why the fuck was that drainage trench still open? Work had been done around this part of the grounds recently, and whoever had left a hole that size uncovered in the middle of a storm was going to answer for it tomorrow.

​I started to turn away to check the rest of the grounds.

​Something is wrong, my wolf’s voice growled deep within my chest, stopping me in my tracks.

​I froze. My entire body went still. I lifted my head and breathed in deeply, filtering through the smell of heavy rain, wet soil, and plants.

​And beneath all of it... her scent. Sweet vanilla hit my nose.

​My heartbeat did an unusual thud against my ribs. "Where is she then?" I muttered, panicking.

​I turned around sharply, searching the garden again, but saw nothing.

​Then my eyes slowly returned to the flooded hole. I stared at the opening for one terrifying moment, and then my eyes widened in absolute shock.

​No.

​The thought hit me so hard that I was already moving before I could fully process it. I rushed across the muddy ground toward the pit, nearly losing my footing as I reached the edge. I quickly caught myself, leaned over the opening, and looked down.

​Everything inside me completely froze when I saw Annabel down there. The freezing, muddy water had already risen almost to her neck. Her wet hair was stuck to her pale face, her entire body was shaking violently from the cold, and both of her hands were pressed desperately against the crumbling, muddy walls.

​For one second, she didn’t notice me. Then she looked up, and our eyes met.

​The moment she saw me, something changed in her terrified expression. It was as though life suddenly returned to her eyes, and the fear slowly gave way to relief.

​Her red eyes suddenly filled with fresh tears, her lips trembling as she stared up at me, completely exhausted, freezing, and terrified.

​"Lucian..." she whispered, her voice barely audible over the roaring storm.

​My name barely left her mouth, and that was all it took.

​I didn’t waste a single millisecond. I teleported straight into the darkness of the pit, dropping into the icy, dirty water beside her.

​She gasped in shock. "Lucian!"

​I reached out, wrapped my arms firmly around her waist beneath the water, and pulled her body tightly against my chest. "I’ve got you."

​Her hands grabbed my shoulders immediately. She was shaking so badly I could feel the tremors through my entire body.

​"Please..." she cried, clinging to me for dear life. "Please get me out."

​Something inside my chest twisted painfully. "I said I’ve got you."

​I wrapped one arm tighter around her waist and placed my other hand behind her head. Before the rising water could drag us under again, the air around us warped once more.

​With a single blur of motion, the freezing water and roaring rain vanished, and we reappeared directly inside the safety and warmth of her bedroom.

​Annabel gasped as her bare feet touched the floor, but her legs immediately gave way. I caught her before she could collapse, holding her close as she clung to me, still trembling violently. Wet, muddy water dripped from her clothes all over the floor. Her breathing was far too fast, almost as though she still believed those muddy walls were closing in around her.

​"Annabel."

​She didn’t answer.

​"Look at me."

​Her fingers only tightened around my shirt.

​I stared down at her, my mind racing. What the fuck had happened to her down there?

​"Annabel, you’re out," I said, my voice dropping lower.

​Her breathing hitched. I tightened my arm around her without thinking.

​"Are you okay?"

​Slowly, she pulled away from me and took a small step back, her terrified blue eyes lifting to meet mine.

​And for the first time since Princess Annabel entered my life, I didn’t care about her father’s actions. I didn’t care about the war. I didn’t care why she was here.

​All I could think about was what would have happened if I hadn’t gone to her room tonight.